Teresa Lisbon
Encyclopedia
Teresa Lisbon is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama The Mentalist
, portrayed by Robin Tunney
. Lisbon is a senior agent
and leader of the "Serious Crime Unit" for the California Bureau of Investigation
(CBI).
In the episode "Red Badge", it is revealed, whilst talking with her psychiatrist, that Lisbon's mother died when she was 12, and that her father was sometimes abusive towards her and her three younger brothers, and that he would suffer blackouts from his alcoholism.
It is revealed in the episode "Code Red
", one brother is named Tommy. In the episode "Red Hot", it is revealed that another brother is named James. In the same episode, her mother is said to have been a nurse and her father was a fireman. She was raised in Chicago
.
In the episode "Blood for Blood
", Teresa accidentally admits that her father was abusive.
Her brother Tommy Lisbon is a bounty hunter.
are often considered to be flirting together, and their possible relationship has been dubbed "Jisbon" by fans. She also had a close and potentially romantic relationship with the late Samuel Bosco, who was deeply in love with her. In season 2, the rich and arrogant Walter Mashburn persistently makes passes at Lisbon, but nothing comes of it. Later in Season 3, Mashburn returns and manages to win Lisbon over with some help from Jane. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Lisbon slept with Mashburn, but he is leaving for Europe for two months.
She is well liked by the rest of her team: Grace Van Pelt
, Wayne Rigsby
and Kimball Cho
, portrayed by Amanda Righetti
, Owain Yeoman
and Tim Kang
respectively. Her old boss, Virgil Minelli put up with her excuses for Patrick's behavior most of the time; but Lisbon becomes hostile when Madeleine Hightower joins the CBI. Hightower makes Lisbon responsible for Jane's behavior and threatens to sanction Lisbon for Jane's missteps. The threat that Hightower made becomes reality for Lisbon in the episode "Blood Money" when Hightower suspends Lisbon for five days for not controlling Jane and his behavior. Hightower tells Jane that Lisbon needs a rest from the case.
, she tells Jane, "Don't even start, I'm still angry." In episode 17, "Carnelian, Inc." Lisbon reveals that she does not trust Jane because of the number of times he has lied to and disobeyed her, but then allows him to catch her in a trust fall
. In one comment by Lisbon to a supervisor when he doubts one of Jane's hunches as seemingly ridiculous, she says "It's a Jane hunch, sir, it's the reason we keep him around"; showing that the members of the team and even his superiors are aware of the accuracy of his insights, even though he is only a consultant.
The extent of Jane's affection toward Lisbon was revealed at the end of the first season, when, only minutes after emphatically stating that he would not mind getting killed if it meant catching Red John
, Jane shot and killed the only person who could lead him to Red John in order to save Lisbon's life.
Lisbon's own affection for Jane is revealed in episode 6 of the second season, where she is willing to sacrifice her own career to get Jane out of prison and dropped off charges against him; in turn, he has stated that he is "always going to save you, [Lisbon], whether you like it or not."
The creator of The Mentalist admitted that there is chemistry between the two lead characters, and that it is a small but possible way to take the show.
, reciting the Hail Mary
whilst wearing a bomb vest.
The Mentalist
The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
, portrayed by Robin Tunney
Robin Tunney
Robin Jessica Tunney is an American actress. She is best known for her lead roles in the movie The Craft and the television series Prison Break and The Mentalist.-Early life:...
. Lisbon is a senior agent
Special agent
Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
and leader of the "Serious Crime Unit" for the California Bureau of Investigation
California Bureau of Investigation
California Bureau of Investigation is a fictional law enforcement organization of the U.S. state of California featured predominantly in the TV series The Mentalist....
(CBI).
Character background
Lisbon's mother was killed by a drunk driver when she was a child. In the episode "Red Tide" it was implied that Teresa then had to take over her mother’s role and care for her family at a young age. After her mother’s death, her father became a drunk and ended up killing himself.In the episode "Red Badge", it is revealed, whilst talking with her psychiatrist, that Lisbon's mother died when she was 12, and that her father was sometimes abusive towards her and her three younger brothers, and that he would suffer blackouts from his alcoholism.
It is revealed in the episode "Code Red
Code Red
-Media:* Code Red , a DVD company specializing in releasing cult films* Code Red , a 1981–1982 American television series* Code Red, the series of books for teenagers written by Chris Ryan-Music:...
", one brother is named Tommy. In the episode "Red Hot", it is revealed that another brother is named James. In the same episode, her mother is said to have been a nurse and her father was a fireman. She was raised in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
In the episode "Blood for Blood
Blood for Blood
Blood for Blood is a hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed by Shane Flannery in 1994, motivated by the hardcore scene in Boston and New York City at the time. In 1997 they were signed to Victory Records...
", Teresa accidentally admits that her father was abusive.
Her brother Tommy Lisbon is a bounty hunter.
Relationships
Lisbon has not been romantically involved with anyone on the show, although she and the CBI's consultant Patrick JanePatrick Jane
Patrick Jane is the protagonist on the CBS crime drama The Mentalist, portrayed by Simon Baker. Jane is a consultant for a fictionalized version of the California Bureau of Investigation and helps by giving advice and insight from his many years as a fake psychic medium...
are often considered to be flirting together, and their possible relationship has been dubbed "Jisbon" by fans. She also had a close and potentially romantic relationship with the late Samuel Bosco, who was deeply in love with her. In season 2, the rich and arrogant Walter Mashburn persistently makes passes at Lisbon, but nothing comes of it. Later in Season 3, Mashburn returns and manages to win Lisbon over with some help from Jane. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Lisbon slept with Mashburn, but he is leaving for Europe for two months.
She is well liked by the rest of her team: Grace Van Pelt
Grace Van Pelt
Grace Van Pelt is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama The Mentalist, portrayed by Amanda Righetti. Van Pelt is a Special agent in the fictionalized California Bureau of Investigation.-Character Background:...
, Wayne Rigsby
Wayne Rigsby
Wayne Rigsby is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama The Mentalist, portrayed by Owain Yeoman. Rigsby is an agent for the fictionalized California Bureau of Investigation.-Early Life:...
and Kimball Cho
Kimball Cho
Kimball Cho is a character portrayed by Tim Kang on the American TV crime drama The Mentalist. Cho is an agent for a fictionalized version of the California Bureau of Investigation ....
, portrayed by Amanda Righetti
Amanda Righetti
Amanda Righetti is an American actress and film producer. She is best known for her roles in The Mentalist, Friday the 13th and The O.C. In 2008, Righetti was the winner of the Best Actress award at the New York International Independent Film Video Festival for the Short Film category.-Early...
, Owain Yeoman
Owain Yeoman
Owain Yeoman is a Welsh actor. His credits include The Nine, Kitchen Confidential and the HBO series, Generation Kill. He currently appears as Agent Wayne Rigsby in The Mentalist.-Biography:...
and Tim Kang
Tim Kang
Tim Kang is an American television and film actor. He is best known for his AT&T commercials and his role as Kimball Cho in the TV series The Mentalist.-Life and career:...
respectively. Her old boss, Virgil Minelli put up with her excuses for Patrick's behavior most of the time; but Lisbon becomes hostile when Madeleine Hightower joins the CBI. Hightower makes Lisbon responsible for Jane's behavior and threatens to sanction Lisbon for Jane's missteps. The threat that Hightower made becomes reality for Lisbon in the episode "Blood Money" when Hightower suspends Lisbon for five days for not controlling Jane and his behavior. Hightower tells Jane that Lisbon needs a rest from the case.
Patrick Jane
Lisbon accepts Jane's misbehavior, although she is often antagonized by his actions and has to clean up after him. In the pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
, she tells Jane, "Don't even start, I'm still angry." In episode 17, "Carnelian, Inc." Lisbon reveals that she does not trust Jane because of the number of times he has lied to and disobeyed her, but then allows him to catch her in a trust fall
Trust fall
A trust fall is a purported trust-building game often conducted as a group exercise in which a person deliberately allows themselves to fall, relying on the other members of the group to catch the person. There are many variants of the trust fall...
. In one comment by Lisbon to a supervisor when he doubts one of Jane's hunches as seemingly ridiculous, she says "It's a Jane hunch, sir, it's the reason we keep him around"; showing that the members of the team and even his superiors are aware of the accuracy of his insights, even though he is only a consultant.
The extent of Jane's affection toward Lisbon was revealed at the end of the first season, when, only minutes after emphatically stating that he would not mind getting killed if it meant catching Red John
Red John
Red John is a fictional character and the leading antagonist on the CBS crime drama The Mentalist. He is a serial killer who murders many people in California, Nevada, and Mexico...
, Jane shot and killed the only person who could lead him to Red John in order to save Lisbon's life.
Lisbon's own affection for Jane is revealed in episode 6 of the second season, where she is willing to sacrifice her own career to get Jane out of prison and dropped off charges against him; in turn, he has stated that he is "always going to save you, [Lisbon], whether you like it or not."
The creator of The Mentalist admitted that there is chemistry between the two lead characters, and that it is a small but possible way to take the show.
Personality
Lisbon is smart, witty, sarcastic, no-nonsense, and sometimes impatient. She is also courageous, willing to put herself in danger, and is willing to keep an open mind but can often be abrasive. She finds herself bending rules, often for the sake of Jane, and, although their relationship is mostly professional, Jane and Lisbon connect in a strange way. She is shown to be a devout Catholic in the first part of Strawberries and CreamStrawberries and Cream (The Mentalist)
"Strawberries and Cream" is the two-part season finale of the third season of the The Mentalist. Together they make up the 23rd and 24th episodes of the season and the 69th and 70th episodes of the series overall. Part one was written by executive producer Ashley Gable and part two was written by...
, reciting the Hail Mary
Hail Mary
The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional biblical Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...
whilst wearing a bomb vest.